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NEW CONTENT MOVED TO MIDDLEBORO REVIEW 2

Toyota

Since the Dilly, Dally, Delay & Stall Law Firms are adding their billable hours, the Toyota U.S.A. and Route 44 Toyota posts have been separated here:

Route 44 Toyota Sold Me A Lemon



Sunday, May 31, 2015

37 incredible drone photos from across the globe that would be totally illegal today


EmmaLadd Shepherd sent a link to the incredible photos below.

Please click on the link to view larger photos and click on the link to view some truly incredibly photography by Amos Chapple.





37 incredible drone photos from across the globe that would be totally illegal today

Read more: http://uk.businessinsider.com/illegal-drone-photos-of-the-most-beautiful-places-on-earth-2015-3?op=1#ixzz3blAYL5dA



  • Apr. 1, 2015



Drones are everywhere from the battlefield to the backyards of America. For such a simple concept, the possibilities for how we can use drones is vast and still being explored.

One of the most interesting ways to utilize drone technology is photography. Photographer Amos Chapple knows this better than most. As soon as consumer drones came on the market, Chapple knew he needed one. After purchasing one and learning how to fly it, he began traveling the globe, photographing famous landmarks before such photography was made illegal.


P2650624 copy 2 drones kremlin
Amos Chapple
Above the Kremlin at the heart of Moscow, Russia.

"There was a window of about 18 months where it was possible to fly these things anywhere and people were excited to see it. I’m glad I made use of that time," Chapple told Business Insider.

Now, with drone use illegal in many of these locations, his collection of beautiful drone images are some of the only aerial photos of their type. Chapple shared many of them with us and told the stories behind his shots. Check out more on his site.



Photographer Amos Chapple captures the world’s most famous landmarks — from the Taj Mahal to the Kremlin — using a drone.

Photographer Amos Chapple captures the world’s most famous landmarks — from the Taj Mahal to the Kremlin — using a drone.
Amos Chapple
Taj Mahal as the day's first tourists trickle through the gates.



When the commercial drone first hit the market in 2013, Chapple says he sifted through new product reviews, searching for the right model to help his art take flight.

When the commercial drone first hit the market in 2013, Chapple says he sifted through new product reviews, searching for the right model to help his art take flight.
Amos Chapple
Barcelona, Spain.

Finally, Chinese technology company DJI came out with the Phantom drone and Chapple was sold.

Finally, Chinese technology company DJI came out with the Phantom drone and Chapple was sold.
Amos Chapple
Paris’ Sacré-Cœur, glowing in a hazy sunrise.

The Phantom allowed him to shoot from almost 400 feet in the air, and take 100 or so images during a single flight.

The Phantom allowed him to shoot from almost 400 feet in the air, and take 100 or so images during a single flight.
Amos Chapple
The Vittoria Light in Italy, overlooking the Gulf of Trieste at sunset.

He wasted no time in getting started. Agencies, tourism bureaus, and other clients commissioned Chapple for photos of iconic sites, such as Hotel Ukraina in Moscow, Russia, seen below.

He wasted no time in getting started. Agencies, tourism bureaus, and other clients commissioned Chapple for photos of iconic sites, such as Hotel Ukraina in Moscow, Russia, seen below.
Amos Chapple
Hotel Ukraina, lit up at dusk.

He soared over the Church of Spilt Blood in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

He soared over the Church of Spilt Blood in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Amos Chapple
The Church on Spilt Blood on an autumn morning. The church marks the spot where the reformist Tsar Alexander II was assassinated by a bomb-rolling revolutionary.

Here's another view of the church at sunset.

Here's another view of the church at sunset.
Amos Chapple
The church was built only as an epitaph to the murdered Tsar and wasn’t intended for public worship. A patch of the cobbled street on which the Tsar lay mortally wounded is preserved within the old church, now open to the public as a museum.

Chapple's drone also floated over the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

Chapple's drone also floated over the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.
Amos Chapple
The spiky skyline of Istanbul as a freighter sails for the Sea of Marmara.

In the early days, Chapple flew the drone in busy areas, but he quickly realized that could be dangerous.

In the early days, Chapple flew the drone in busy areas, but he quickly realized that could be dangerous.
Amos Chapple
Known to the locals as "Hill 3," this knoll jutting above Mumbai's northern slums is no more valuable than the land below. Access to running water, which the hill lacks, is far more valuable than any view.

His first drone had a design flaw which caused a propeller to fly off mid-flight.

His first drone had a design flaw which caused a propeller to fly off mid-flight.
Amos Chapple
Russian vacationers on the beach in Abkhazia.

He crashed a second one recently during a commercial shoot in which he was forced to use an unfamiliar model of drone. At about 100 feet up, he lost control and the drone disappeared. After chasing it down, he found it smashed to bits. He suspects Wi-Fi signals scrambled the drone's radio communication.

He crashed a second one recently during a commercial shoot in which he was forced to use an unfamiliar model of drone. At about 100 feet up, he lost control and the drone disappeared. After chasing it down, he found it smashed to bits. He suspects Wi-Fi signals scrambled the drone's radio communication.
Amos Chapple
The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Even though he’s flown his drone more than 1,000 times now, Chapple always runs the risk that something will go wrong.

Even though he’s flown his drone more than 1,000 times now, Chapple always runs the risk that something will go wrong.
Amos Chapple
The Lotus Temple, dotted with pigeons at sunrise. Designed by an Iranian exile, the building serves as the center of the Bahai'i faith in New Delhi, India.

And frankly, the drones freaked people out. “It’s a nuisance now that it’s no longer a novelty,” Chapple says.

And frankly, the drones freaked people out. “It’s a nuisance now that it’s no longer a novelty,” Chapple says.
Amos Chapple
A knot of fishing boats at the entrance to Sassoon Dock in Mumbai, India.

Now, Chapple avoids people as best he can. “I'm just using it at dawn, or in isolated places where I’m not annoying people trying to enjoy a stroll,” he says.

Now, Chapple avoids people as best he can. “I'm just using it at dawn, or in isolated places where I’m not annoying people trying to enjoy a stroll,” he says.
Amos Chapple
The angel atop the Alexander column in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Built after Russia’s victory over Napoleon, the column's 600-ton granite trunk was tipped into place by 2,000 soldiers. It balances without any attachment to its base.

Sometimes, the best pictures don't require much altitude. Here, two wrestlers practice the ancient Indian sport of Kushti in a pit they dug.

Sometimes, the best pictures don't require much altitude. Here, two wrestlers practice the ancient Indian sport of Kushti in a pit they dug.
Amos Chapple
Two wrestlers practicing the ancient Indian sport of Kushti in a pit they hacked into the ground two hours before.

During a typical shoot, he maintains a flight path just above his head, never veering off into the distance.

During a typical shoot, he maintains a flight path just above his head, never veering off into the distance.
Amos Chapple
The Mtkvari River winding through Tbilisi, Georgia's elegant capital.

The drone doesn’t allow Chapple to see what he’s photographing. While it may snap 100 photos, only 10 to 20 images will be framed in a pleasing way.

The drone doesn’t allow Chapple to see what he’s photographing. While it may snap 100 photos, only 10 to 20 images will be framed in a pleasing way.
Amos Chapple
Worker and Kolkhoz Woman striding into the future that was. Built for the Soviet pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris, the steel masterwork now stands in the suburbs of northern Moscow.

Here's one view of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, on the banks of the Moskva River.

Here's one view of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, on the banks of the Moskva River.
Amos Chapple
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour at sunrise.

And here's a slightly different shot, showing more of the church's architectural detail.

And here's a slightly different shot, showing more of the church's architectural detail.
Amos Chapple
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour again.

The surprise doesn't bother Chapple. “There’s a magic to not knowing what you have until you have the camera back in your hands,” he says.

The surprise doesn't bother Chapple. “There’s a magic to not knowing what you have until you have the camera back in your hands,” he says.
Amos Chapple
The Katskhi Pillar in Georgia, where a hermit has lived for the past twenty years to be "closer to god."

Drones also offer a huge advantage over manned aircrafts: You can afford to take risks with the weather.

Drones also offer a huge advantage over manned aircrafts: You can afford to take risks with the weather.
Amos Chapple
The Peter and Paul Cathedral in Peterhof, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with the palace and gardens in the background. Beyond, the Finnish Gulf is obscured by fog. During WWII, Nazi armies occupied Peterhof, destroying it almost completely during their retreat.

“When you’re paying $1,000 an hour for a helicopter flight, you make absolutely sure you’re going to get some sunlight,” Chapple says.

“When you’re paying $1,000 an hour for a helicopter flight, you make absolutely sure you’re going to get some sunlight,” Chapple says.
Amos Chapple
The star fort at Bourtange, Netherlands. Three centuries after the last cannonball was fired in anger at the fort, it now serves as a museum and the center of a sleepy farming village in eastern Holland. The low, thick walls were designed to offset the pounding force of cannon fire.

"As a result, most aerial shots [are] blue, bright, sunny, and boring,” he says. “My best shots have been in unusual weather, but it’s taken several flights to achieve. That kind of experimentation would have been impossibly expensive with a helicopter."

"As a result, most aerial shots [are] blue, bright, sunny, and boring,” he says. “My best shots have been in unusual weather, but it’s taken several flights to achieve. That kind of experimentation would have been impossibly expensive with a helicopter."
Amos Chapple
Clouds swirl through the pillars of Sagrat Cor Church, high on a hill above Barcelona, Spain. Twenty minutes later a thunderstorm hit the city.

For about 18 months, it was legal to fly drones anywhere. Chapple took advantage.

For about 18 months, it was legal to fly drones anywhere. Chapple took advantage.
Amos Chapple
The Admiralty shipyard in Saint Petersburg, Russia, headquarters of the Russian Navy.

“For that year, when the whole world was open, it was just a case of hitting famous landmarks and moving as quickly as possible."

“For that year, when the whole world was open, it was just a case of hitting famous landmarks and moving as quickly as possible."
Amos Chapple
The Peter and Paul Cathedral, inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

“The window has definitely shut now,” he says.

“The window has definitely shut now,” he says.
Amos Chapple
A ruined college in Gali, Abkhazia, near the "border" with Georgia, where ethnic Georgians made up 96% of the region’s pre-war population. Most fled, or were driven out of their homes after the war. Today Gali is a twilight zone of empty buildings and overgrown farmland.

In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration made it illegal to fly drones for commercial purposes, including photography. Other countries followed suit.

In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration made it illegal to fly drones for commercial purposes, including photography. Other countries followed suit.
Amos Chapple
The windswept Liberty Statue, overlooking Budapest. Built in 1947 by the new communist rulers for the “Liberating Soviet Heroes” the inscription was amended swiftly after the USSR collapsed, "To the memory of all those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary."

Russian authorities denied him permission to fly above the Kremlin in Moscow because he was a foreign citizen.

Russian authorities denied him permission to fly above the Kremlin in Moscow because he was a foreign citizen.
Amos Chapple

He did it anyway. Over the course of two days, he scoped out an area tucked out of sight from the police. He waited for a burst of traffic to block the noise of the drone and got his shot.

He did it anyway. Over the course of two days, he scoped out an area tucked out of sight from the police. He waited for a burst of traffic to block the noise of the drone and got his shot.
Amos Chapple
The Palace at Petergof, perched on a bluff overlooking the sea some 19 miles from central Saint Petersburg.

“I ended up snatching the drone out of the air and running through the alleyways to get away,” Chapple says. “It was risky, but so much history has walked through that space, I just couldn’t resist."

“I ended up snatching the drone out of the air and running through the alleyways to get away,” Chapple says. “It was risky, but so much history has walked through that space, I just couldn’t resist."
Amos Chapple
Jama Masjid, the heart of Islam in India. The red sandstone structure was built under the orders of the same Mughal emperor of Taj Mahal fame.

His dream location would be Iran, but current laws prevent him from shooting there.

His dream location would be Iran, but current laws prevent him from shooting there.
Amos Chapple
Mumbai's northern slums.

“I even got the direct email to [Iran’s] minister of tourism, but got no response,” Chapple says.

“I even got the direct email to [Iran’s] minister of tourism, but got no response,” Chapple says.
Amos Chapple
The angel atop the Alexander column.

"There are still plenty of places where this technology can legally and safely offer spectacular new imagery," says Chapple. In two months, he plans to shoot in the wilderness of Kyrgyzstan.

"There are still plenty of places where this technology can legally and safely offer spectacular new imagery," says Chapple. In two months, he plans to shoot in the wilderness of Kyrgyzstan.
Amos Chapple
Visitors walk on fallen leaves in the Summer Garden, central Saint Petersburg’s oldest Park.

While Chapple says he’s fully supportive of the tight restrictions abroad, his photos make us wish he could continue.

While Chapple says he’s fully supportive of the tight restrictions abroad, his photos make us wish he could continue.
Amos Chapple
The Taj Mahal, with the Yamuna river snaking away toward its source in the Himalayas.

Drone photography allows the viewer to take in the lay of the land...

Drone photography allows the viewer to take in the lay of the land...
Amos Chapple
Buda castle on August 20. The barge in the center of the Danube is loaded with fireworks, launched later that night to celebrate Hungary’s national day.

...during both the day and night.

...during both the day and night.
Amos Chapple
Buda castle again.

“It’s amazing to be able to explore an aerial image,” Chapple says. “There’s such an immensity of information."

“It’s amazing to be able to explore an aerial image,” Chapple says. “There’s such an immensity of information."
Amos Chapple
The Hermitage Pavilion near Saint Petersburg, Russia, wreathed in dawn mist. The little “whipped cream” pavilion was an example of the decadence which would eventually topple the Tsarist autocracy. It was famous for parties where tables laden with food would rise from beneath the floorboards into groups of delighted guests.

Up, up, and away.

Up, up, and away.


Read more: http://uk.businessinsider.com/illegal-drone-photos-of-the-most-beautiful-places-on-earth-2015-3?op=1#ixzz3blBmpzDe









RSN: Maryland Fracking Moratorium Becomes Law, Ohio Prosecutor Slams Judge in Acquittal of Cop in Execution Style Slaying, No Progress on Nuclear Weapons Control - As Planned





It's Live on the HomePage Now:
Reader Supported News

William Boardman | No Progress on Nuclear Weapons Control - As Planned
People participate in an anti-nuclear rally in Union Square in New York. (photo: Seth Wenig/AP)
William Boardman, Reader Supported News
Boardman writes: "In a world where six of the world's nine nuclear-armed states are already directly or indirectly engaged in armed conflict, even the best case scenario is a disaster."
READ MORE
Ohio Prosecutor Slams Judge in Acquittal of Cop in Execution Style Slaying
Ida Lieszkovszky, Northeast Ohio Media Group
Lieszkovszky writes: "The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office asked an appellate court Friday to correct legal errors made by Common Pleas Judge John P. O'Donnell in his ruling on the voluntary manslaughter trial of Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo."
READ MORE
Rand Paul: 'I Will Force the Expiration' of Patriot Act
Mark Hensch, The Hill
Hensch reports: "Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) vowed Saturday to do everything in his power to prevent an extension of the Patriot Act and its provisions concerning U.S. intelligence measures."
READ MORE
Nebraska Governor Moves Ahead With 10 Executions, Despite Repeal of Death Penalty
Associated Press
Excerpt: "Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts says lawmakers' repeal of the death penalty won't stop his administration from proceeding with executions of 10 people already sentenced to death."
READ MORE
Idaho Abortion Restrictions Are Unconstitutional, Appeals Court Rules
Reuters
Excerpt: "An Idaho law that prohibits the abortion of fetuses at 20 weeks or more after fertilization is unconstitutional, a U.S. appeals court ruled Friday."
READ MORE
The Story of America's Very First Drone Strike
Chris Woods, The Atlantic
Woods writes: "It was the night of October 7, 2001, less than a month after 9/11, and from the United States' new Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Saudi Arabia, it was the job of Lieutenant General Chuck Wald and his deputy Dave Deptula to coordinate every aspect of the unfolding Afghan air war."
READ MORE
Never Say Never: Maryland Fracking Moratorium Becomes Law
Wenonah Hauter, EcoWatch
Hauter writes: "'You'll never get a fracking moratorium through the Maryland Legislature' was the common refrain I heard as we at Food & Water Watch joined with more than 100 groups from throughout the state to work on preventing fracking in Maryland. But we didn't let that stop us."
READ MORE
 
 
 
 
 

RSN: The Insecure American




It's Live on the HomePage Now:
Reader Supported News

FOCUS: Paul Krugman | The Insecure American
Paul Krugman. (photo: NYT)
Paul Krugman, The New York Times
Krugman writes: "America remains, despite the damage inflicted by the Great Recession and its aftermath, a very rich country. But many Americans are economically insecure, with little protection from life's risks."
READ MORE


Contribute to RSN
 
 
 
 

Saturday, May 30, 2015

OMG! New York passed SINGLE PAYER!




For the first time in over 20 years, the New York State Assembly has passed a‪#‎SinglePayer‬ bill! http://www.capitalnewyork.com/…/assembly-passes-universal-h…
 

This, that, Westboro Baptist Church going to Iraq, Koch Troll destroys Wisconsin..nothing new there ......






Republicans: the party of cynical corruption. Shocker... the victim was male and underage.
Image by Occupy Democrats


 



If you missed it - this is a genius idea
A FTT is a great way to raise large amounts of money to meet important public needs.
ALTERNET.ORG


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/05/28/what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-wisconsin-public-education/


Legislators are taking a whack at the credibility of the system.
WASHINGTONPOST.COM




http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/michael-morell-bush-cheney-iraq-war

"Bush and Cheney were not misled by flawed intelligence; they used the flawed intelligence to mislead." —David Corn

On "Hardball," Michael Morell concedes the Bush administration misled the nation into the Iraq War.
MOTHERJONES.COM




 





Westboro Baptist Church, the hate group that masquerades as a religious organization, is known for their publicity stunts, but they may have bit off more...
ADDICTINGINFO.ORG|BY PRAVEEN PATEL

This, that......hmmmm?





Gee! Where's a strong statement from the Presidential candidate?

John Podesta, campaign chief for Hillary Clinton, told The Guardian he has seen no sign that Canada had a plan to compensate for extra ‪#‎tarsands‬emissions:
"I think, and this is my personal view and not the administration’s view – I am not in the administration – I haven’t seen that forthcoming from the Canadians at this particular stage." ‪#‎NOKXL‬
Canada needs to do more to deal with ‘excessive emissions’ from tar sands ahead of crunch climate talks in Paris later this year, says John Podesta
THEGUARDIAN.COM|BY SUZANNE GOLDENBERG
 · 


Obama saves Texas Republicans who can't even bring themselves to say thank you. http://www.politicususa.com/…/obama-rescues-arrogant-ungrat…

Traveling in the U.S. this summer? Here's one state you may want to avoid.

 Let's remember that Texas gave us Molly Ivins [sorely missed], Anne Richardson [sorely missed] and Jim Hightower, one of sleazy Karl Rove's first targets. 

There are many thoughtful and progressive folks living in the midst of ARMED Tea Bagger Wack-A-Dings who have been gerrymandered out of a vote. 

We seem to be falling into the same trap as the Wack-A-Dings when we paint an entire state with a broad brush. 

Isn't the real issue 'how to we educate them to support Progressive ideas?' 

[I've canvassed staunch Republican neighborhoods and invite everyone to do so.]


The Republican party has no problem with federal assistance as long as only they get it. Their hypocrisy is astonishing.
Maybe this will help them realize the importance of a strong federal government.
Read more here: http://nyti.ms/1d2rPlU
Image by Occupy Democrats

White House Rejects Petitions to Secede, but Texans Fight On



AUSTIN, Tex. — More than 100,000 people who signed an online petition calling on the Obama administration to allow Texas to secede from the United States and create an independent government received an official 476-word response from the White House last week.

The short answer was no.

But the response — in which a White House official said the founding fathers established the United States as a “perpetual union” — hardly discouraged the Texas secession movement, which has been simmering for decades but gained momentum after the re-election of President Obama.

On the opening day of the Legislature here last Tuesday, supporters of theTexas Nationalist Movement — a group that wants Texas to sever its federal ties and become an independent nation — met with Republican leaders, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. It was another sign that ideas once regarded as radical and even unpatriotic have found a measure of support, or at least sympathy, among some conservatives.

The movement also scored a mention in one legislator’s opening-day speech, though it was not a reference that pleased supporters of the cause. “Our economy is so vast and diverse that if Texas were its own country — and no, don’t worry, that isn’t something we’re going to do this session — but if we were, we’d be the 14th-largest economy in the world,” the speaker of the House, Joe Straus III, a San Antonio Republican, told lawmakers.

Obama administration officials were reacting to a flurry of secession petitions filed by residents of Texas and other states on a section of the White House Web site. The Texas petition, with 125,746 signatures, declared that withdrawing from the Union was “practically feasible” since the state had a balanced budget.

The director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Jon Carson,wrote in his response that free and open debate was good for democracy, but also cited some of the legal arguments against secession, including Texas v. White, an 1869 Supreme Court ruling that found that individual states did not have a right to secede.

“Our founding fathers established the Constitution of the United States ‘in order to form a more perfect union’ through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government,” Mr. Carson wrote. “They enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot — a right that generations of Americans have fought to secure for all. But they did not provide a right to walk away from it.”

Mr. Carson was answering secession petitions filed by residents of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and five other states, as well as one counterpetition seeking the deportation of everyone who signed a secession petition.

The communications director for the Texas Nationalist Movement, Jeff Sadighi, shrugged off the White House response and pointed to a section of the State Constitution that says Texans have the right “to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think expedient.”

At the opening of the legislative session, the group rallied on the steps of the Capitol and went to the offices of lawmakers seeking support for a referendum asking Texas voters to accept or reject secession. They got a warm reception: the group’s president, Daniel Miller, met with Mr. Dewhurst for about an hour.

“We had a lengthy discussion about the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution and the future of Texas,” Mr. Miller said. “He was cordial and engaging on the issues with which we are concerned.”

A spokesman for the lieutenant governor, Matt Hirsch, said that Mr. Miller was one of several constituents who met with Mr. Dewhurst on the first day of the session, but that as a proud veteran Mr. Dewhurst believed in preserving and protecting the Union.

A version of this article appears in print on January 16, 2013, on page A11 of the New York edition  with the headline: White House Rejects Petitions To Secede, but Texans Fight On. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/us/politics/texas-secession-movement-unbowed-by-white-house-rejection.html?_r=1